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Chicken or Egg?

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8  Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9  who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10  and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. -  2 Timothy 1:8-10  

So far this year, my morning time in the Scriptures has been in the Pastoral Epistles.  That is, I have been eavesdropping on Paul’s conversation with Timothy and Titus as they seek to faithfully carry out the ministry that God has given them in Ephesus and Crete. These are incredible books. As they are in the Bible and from the very mouth of God, we would expect no less.  The incredibleness of them lies not so much in the greatness of who they are written by or to, but the greatness of the One being written about.

What often strikes me is the way that Paul talks about two things: ministry and Jesus.  Those are his two main subjects – the things he gets most passionate about, prays most about, writes most about and that for which he will eventually lay down his life (shortly after 2nd Timothy was written).  For Paul, the two big categories that encapsulate his passion are inextricably linked. For him there is not one without the other.  There is not ministry without Jesus.  Ministry not based on Jesus is no ministry at all.  And yet the reality of Jesus and who He is always includes giving my life in service to Him via some sort of ministry.

This is not to say, however, that one is not more fundamental or important than the other.  It makes me think of the age old question, Which came first, the chicken or the egg?  I have a friends in our community that sell eggs, I wonder if they get tired of the question. Or if it even gets asked. I should ask them sometime.  I think the Bible answers this question in Genesis 1:20-21 20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21  So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.” Biblically, the chicken was first. It missed the flying part, but it was first.

What has this to do with our previous discussion about ministry and Jesus? Actually, much.  You see, although the infamous chicken and egg debate may rage on as to which is more foundational, there is no debate as to whether Jesus or ministry is more foundational.  Or which was first.  Jesus Christ is clearly first in every way. Biblically (vs 9) Jesus came first. And it is absolutely essential that we remember this whether we are leading ministries or attending them.  We must remember that Jesus is the reason we do or attend a ministry, the content of that ministry, whom that ministry submits to and ultimately that which fuels the ministry that God would call us to, whether things are easy or tough.  We realize that Jesus must be not only the foundation of any ministry that we take part in, but also must be the middle and the end of it too. 


As Paul gives instruction in ministry to Timothy (and us) he reminds us that our ministry personally, and the ministry of the churches we attend must be wrapped up in Jesus, “given to us before the ages began… who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” Without Jesus there would be no ministry to do, no motivation to do it, and no good news to tell.  But as Jesus is first, foundational, and fully the point of all we do, death is abolished, and life and immortality through trusting in his death on the cross is laid out before all to be received by faith. That is true ministry. Take heed, a ministry without Jesus at the center is no ministry at all. Ministry that relegates him to the sidelines, be it water boy, mascot, cheerleader or even that which fulfills my desire to do ministry is a deep offence to God and confusing for those who don’t know Christ.   A ministry with Jesus as the center, even if it is accompanied by suffering and hardship has eternity, life and immortality wrapped up in it.  Jesus is first, ministry comes as a result. We must never forget.

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